San Diego County’s official report on its response to last year’s hepatitis A outbreak, which killed 20 people and sickened more than 570 others, is just the latest evidence that self-satisfied county leaders are incapable of honest self-evaluation. The 200-page report never directly addresses the biggest question of all: Why did officials wait until Sept. 1 to declare a public health emergency?

When evidence of a hepatitis A outbreak among the homeless emerged in the spring, the county did ultimately ramp up efforts to vaccinate those at-risk, to provide information to discourage risky behavior and to increase access to bathrooms and hand-washing stations. But by the end of June, there had been five deaths and more than 250 confirmed cases of hepatitis A — a deadly outbreak without recent precedent. And by the end of August, there were 16 deaths and more than 430 confirmed cases of hepatitis A. It was only then that an emergency was declared and a significantly more aggressive approach was employed. The rate of new deaths and new cases soon dropped sharply.

The death and infection toll might have been far lower if public health officials figured out their initial response to the outbreak was inadequate. But not only does the report ignore this angle, it essentially lauds the county for its actions. Residents deserve far better than this glop from their government.